Glimpses Into The Past
Welcome to glimpses of Hillsdale Counties past seen through news clippings, postcards, and other sources.
Beverly Garfield Selby
Beverly Garfield Selby was born on May 26, 1910 in Hudson MI, the 6th of 12 children born to James & Nina (Jackson) Selby. His parents originally came from Canada. Beverly graduated from Hudson High School in 1930 and went on to attend Hillsdale College where he earned a degree in Education. He played on the college baseball team along with his older brother James Harold in 1932 & 1933. He continued playing for the college in 1934 & 1935. There is nothing unusual about this except they were of African decent. Beverly and his brother James were the first black men to play in the M.I.A.A. conference. There were no black players in the Major Leagues at that time and the brothers faced a lot of racial discrimination. In one incident, the Hillsdale team was to play at Michigan State College (MSU), and upon arrival the Hillsdale baseball coach was told by the Michigan State College athletic director that the Selby brothers could not play in the game. The Hillsdale coach decided that if the brothers could not play then the Hillsdale team would not play.
Beverly had an outstanding career playing at Hillsdale College. In the 1932 Winona Yearbook the Varsity Baseball team won 12 of its 14 games. Hillsdale scored an average of 8.96 runs per game. According to the 1933 Winona Yearbook the M.I.A.A. discontinued conference baseball. Because of this the Hillsdale team played opponents from outside their conference which included larger colleges. They ended the season at 7 & 7, beating teams from U of M, Mt Pleasant, & Oberlin, among others. In Beverly's Jr. year the team won 9 of their 12 games. According to the 1934 Winona Yearbook pg. 84, "Bev Selby was moved to the "outer garden" from first base. His smallness in stature made it hard to pitch to him and his fielding ability made him a distinct asset to the team. Selby gained the reputation of being one of the best ball hawks ever to wear a Hillsdale uniform". In 1935 Beverly was back on first base for his senior year. His outstanding performance brought Beverly the M.I.A.A. Most Valuable Player Award.
Beverly & his brother James played for a semi-professional team in Jackson, MI. He also played ball in Hillsdale, MI every Thursday for 18 years. Beverly loved baseball and could be found watching one game on the TV and listening to another game on the radio. Sources: Wayne Hicks Family Tree, Winona Yearbooks 1933-1955, US Census' & M.I.A.A.
Hillsdale Whig Standard July 7 1846
Blacksmith shops were found in many towns. Horses were used for transportation. They carried people, pulled buggies, wagons, & fire equipment. They were used to pull implements by farmers in Hillsdale County to plant and harvest crops. Blacksmiths made shoes to protect the horse's hooves. A horse shoe hung open end up over your door was believed to bring good luck to those living there.
Do you wonder how Hillsdale City streets got name?
Look at the list below and see if your street name is there.
